Sydney before 1810 can be likened to a difficult, boisterous, often undernourished and frequently undisciplined infant. While numerous personal accounts and official reports of Sydney in this period exist, there has been surprisingly little analytical and interpretative writing. This collection of essays by eminent historians provides a vivid picture of early Sydney and its inhabitants. The essays are based on a wide range of written and visual source material; many of the maps, paintings and etchings of the infant settlement are included. A number of windows on early Sydney are opened that allow the reader to gain new perspectives into Australia's oldest urban centre. Taken together, they paint the most detailed picture ever presented of the vibrancy of life in our 'difficult infant' that has just passed the ripe old age of 200....